Finally, the elder’s nefarious gaze fell upon the two remaining humans who had yet to learn their fate. As the creature advanced, Morgana instinctively stepped in front of the terrified Amara, shielding her from harm. With a quick assessment of their surroundings, she searched for an escape route, but the goblins had them trapped within a tight circle, leaving no avenue for retreat.
The elder studied the healer from a distance. While she possessed a healthier body due to the blessings of her goddesses, the holy magic permeating from her acted as a deterrent to the goblin’s ambitions.
“You, human,” the creature called out to the bandit leader who was just about done receiving treatment from one of his men. “I’ve changed my mind; you may have this one female.”
Morgana’s eyes widened in alarm, and Amara’s knees trembled with fear. In a reckless act of desperation, the archer wrested a blade from the stubby arms of a goblin and lunged at the bearded bastard, ready to defend herself and her companion. But when a mysterious glow flashed from the eye sockets of a skull atop the elder’s staff, Morgana abruptly froze in her tracks, the blade falling just inches short of the monster’s throat.
“M-Morgana!” Amara cried out as the girl began trailing behind the retreating elder like an obedient dog. “What’s wrong? What’re you doing? Morgana!”
As her friend vanished into the distance, spirited away by the heartless fiend, Amara’s knees buckled and she crumpled to the ground. With an outstretched arm that would never reach, she watched in despair. Meanwhile, not far behind, the bandits crept closer, their amused laughter echoing like a pack of cackling hyenas as they closed in to claim their prize.
As the innocent healer was hauled away by the lustful men, Lilith laid motionless on the ground, tears streaming from her vacant eyes, snot and drool mingling as her body convulsed under the relentless assault of the goblins.
Desperate screams, clawing fingers, cracked nails. Price cried out in agony as another powerful thrust sent his body jerking forward. But he couldn’t escape the ironclad grip that imprisoned his hips, administering a fate far worse than death.
***
SWISHH!
Time slowed to a crawl as a blade traced a white semicircle through the air. It narrowly missed the bridge of Daisuke’s nose as he bent low to the ground. Time resumed its normal pace, and with it, a swift movement—the tail of the kobold descended like a whip.
WHOOPISHH!
The thick appendage struck the ground where Daisuke’s head had been just milliseconds ago. The kobold, a bipedal creature with both reptilian and lupine features, tilted its head, using its keen sense of smell and sight to track its prey as Daisuke retreated into the canopy of trees using a golden chain.
“Magic Missile.”
A perfectly aimed projectile targeted the creature’s eye, but it raised a small shield to defend itself. When the beast lowered its arm, Daisuke had vanished from the limb where he had been just a moment ago.
CHENGG!
The kobold flinched as the accursed chain wrapped around its neck, dragging it towards the trunk of a tree. It despised the feeling of bondage, but at least now it knew the location of its prey.
As the predator readied its sword for a decisive strike, it soon realized that its quarry wasn’t hiding behind the tree as it had assumed. The chains had been wound around two other trees to create that illusion. In reality, the human was directly—
STABB!
The Lipanthyer’s Fang struck true, sinking deep into the creature’s back, piercing flesh and bone with a satisfying thud. The monster staggered, its movements faltering as agony coursed through its body. It collapsed in a tangle of limbs upon the forest floor.
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But as the echoes of its demise faded, the ominous presence of its brethren emerged from the shadows, their predatory instincts keen and their thirst for vengeance palpable.
“That’s right,” Daisuke mused as he threw himself into the fray. “Come at me, you confusing bastards! Are kobolds lizards or dogs—which is it?!”
From observing Osten and the others during the guild expeditions, I’ve learned that when players kill monsters, they dematerialize almost instantly, and their drops are automatically added to the player’s inventory. Normally, players can’t interact with monster corpses unless a quest specifically requires it.
However, in my case, I not only receive the drops in my inventory but I can also salvage the corpse, which sticks around for a longer period of time after being killed. This allows me to collect double the rewards compared to an average player. I suppose it’s one of the perks of being part NPC.
DING!
[Your inventory has reached its maximum capacity for storing monster corpses.]
Sitting atop a heap of lifeless kobold bodies, Daisuke rubbed his chin in contemplation as he stared down at the notification window. It was essentially a slap in the face for being too greedy.
That settles it, he thought with a hint of disappointment. Regardless of the species, I can only store twenty-five corpses at a time. My next experiment will be to attempt adding a live mob to my inventory. The fact that I can store anything beyond mere materials is pretty surprising. Is this another byproduct of Jupiter?
RAWRR!
Using his powerful jaws, Zephyr strenuously dragged the limp body of a Kobold Sprite towards Daisuke. The creature, almost twice as large as the canine, was the juvenile stage of a Kobold. It bore the traits of a quadrupedal wolf.
Whenever the sprite became lodged between rocks or tangled in tufts of grass, Zephyr would clamp down on it fiercely and vigorously shake his head in a display of anger and frustration.
“It’s okay, buddy,” Daisuke called out. “I can’t fit anymore in my inventory, but I appreciate the hard work.”
“Arf!”
As the pup ascended the mound of lifeless bodies to join him, Daisuke’s gaze shifted from its bloodied fur to the lifeless bodies of the sprites strewn across the forest floor.
In a clash of fangs and claws, especially against a larger foe, it’s no surprise he didn’t come out unscathed, Daisuke admitted with a hint of guilt.
With a mental command, he summoned a handful of Vitaberries in his hand and fed them to the weary pup. “I forbade you from using Emberstorm because I’m worried about setting the forest ablaze, but it seems you’re having a tough time as a result. Are you sure you wouldn’t rather sit this one out? Sure you wouldn’t gain as much EXP, but at least you wouldn’t risk getting hurt either.”
“Grrr,” the canine gave a low growl, a clear sign of refusal.
Daisuke raised his hands in surrender. “Well, alright… but the dirtier you get, the longer you’ll need to spend in the bath later.”
Zephyr’s eyes widened, and his ears and tail drooped in response.
Daisuke chuckled. “You’re such a weirdo! Where I’m from, dogs love water—yet here you are, acting like a cat. Weren’t dogs supposed to be direct descendants of wolves?”
“Ahrrr~” the pup emitted a displeased murmur, and Daisuke playfully tousled his fur.
It would be great if Zephyr could learn a projectile-type skill with pinpoint accuracy and perfect control. “Now that I think about it,” Daisuke pondered, capturing the pup’s attention, “is it possible for you to learn new abilities from a skill book?”
“Rawrwu,” Zephyr responded, tilting his small head in confusion.
“I need to remember to test that theory. But while we’re on the subject of acquiring new skills,” Daisuke muttered, casting a glance at the Volturax’s materials, “I need to become stronger myself. It’s hard to forget how much I struggled, both inside the dungeon and against those golems.”
[Volturax Fang]
[The sharp canine teeth extracted from the Volturax. Handling them requires utmost care due to their lethal sharpness. Suitable for forging into equipment or trading with merchants.]
[Volturax Tail]
[The tail harvested from the Volturax. Its weight is primarily concentrated in the mace-like tip. While robust, its flexibility renders it a potent weapon for the monster. Ideal for crafting specialized equipment or trade with merchants.]
Once I’m back in Wonderelle, it’s crucial that I find a skilled blacksmith who can forge these materials into powerful weapons, Daisuke strategized, his thoughts racing ahead. I’ll need new equipment too. Pretty sure everything will cost an arm and a leg, but that’s precisely why I’m farming materials as I make my way back to town.
Even as Daisuke organized his thoughts, his fingers instinctively moved across the interface, leading him to the skill window. There, his gaze lingered on two specific abilities. While he didn’t dwell too long on the one that was bugged, his mind gravitated toward the other, contemplating its potential significance.
[Alchemy]
[Rank: Unique
Classification: Active Skill
Lvl: 1
Proficiency: 0%
An ancient and arcane fusion between science and magic, carefully honed to perfection over time by the greatest chemists. Centuries ago, following its completion, the art was sealed away out of fear that its power would fall into the wrong hands.
Skill Effect:
▪︎ By using mana as a catalyst to tap into the Aether Field, Alchemy allows the user to endlessly harness the secrets of nature to transmute, combine, and manipulate matter.
Mana Cost: N/A
Skill Cooldown: N/A]
Daisuke sighed.